Vitruvian Soul Performs at The Basement
Vitruvian Soul performs at The Basement. (Photo by Karina Deere)
Down in Columbus’ locally famous Basement, I had the pleasure of getting a glimpse into Vitruvian Soul’s mythos. Featuring acolytes of indie sleaze geeks of all ages—from hipster-beanied teens to pornstached college-aged friends in Kurt Cobain goggles and thrifted coogi sweaters to excited parents dressed like priests -- Vitruvian Soul had aggregated a visibly enthusiastic congregation for its sold-out hometown show.
The opener Matt Gray gifted us an intimate introductory set—his music echoing the sentimentality of Death Cab for Cutie with its sweet acoustic sound. His set’s tenderness humorously contrasted with the hysteric energy of some crowd members, amusing many parents. From the autumnal, swaying tide of “Moon” to the Sufjan Stevens-adjacent/Seven Swans-reminiscent quarter-life crisis testimony of “August” to the touching filial song for dad, Gray's tracks provided a very heartwarming calm before the storm.
Max Lew, Guitarist
Right after the conclusion of Gray’s set, an old-timey narrator sardonically unraveled the origin story of our headliners—earmarked with “debilitating heartbreak” and “$42,000 of student debt”—before announcing a relative window of minutes until the show. The end of the Looney Tunes-style countdown was hard clashed with the futuristic hyperreal voice assistant Tru-V asking the audience, “Are you ready?” as our boys in black proceeded on stage. The setlist kicked off with electronica banger “Second Life” before showcasing their genre-blending versatility with a groovier second track.
Tru-V (arguable spiritual member of the band and unsaid standout of the show) interjected early into the setlist, urging the band “play something people actually know” (her words not mine). Vitruvian Soul heeded, pump-faking the audience with the intro to “1000 Miles” before slamming us with the soul-snatching riff of the Killers’ classic “Mr. Brightside.” The lead singer opened up the pit to climatically perform the song’s finale from within the crowd. The rest of the show bounced sonically, shuffling from 2000’s pop punk tracks for the main character in a high school sitcom to pensive electronic tracks to swaggered rock jams tip-toeing into Tom Petty territory. They seamlessly stride from twangy folksy songs to inspirational, celebrational closers that ring like a narrative return to the old world in a film’s ending credits.
Vitruvian Soul is a promising act with its hand on Ohio’s pulse. Their postmodern anti-pop sound shines even in the angst capital of the midwest due to their intuitive crowd integration and interactive sci-fi lore (that perhaps would explain why one member returned for the encore dressed as a park ranger?).
In this concoction of the electric sensibilities of the Postal Service, the lore-heavy quirkiness of twenty øne piløts, the endearing immaturity of Disney Channel’s Minutemen, and -- most importantly -- the lovability of Vitruvian Soul, we find a memorable, fun show that’ll leave fans satisfied and prospects with their interest stolen.
*Photography by Karina Deere. For more photos from the show, view the full gallery.